Weigh In: Britney Spears To Close ‘X Factor’ Deal For $15 Mil?

Amidst much tabloid speculation, ‘Toxic’ tinwoman Britney Spears is reportedly set to close a deal with Simon Cowell that will see her occupy a seat on next season’s X Factor USA to the tune of a cool $15 million.

Replacing fellow pop starlets Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul, the deal, which insiders expect to be announced in the coming days, will make Spears the second highest paid reality talent show judge ever – bested only by Jennifer Lopez‘s hefty $20 million payout for this year’s ‘American Idol’.

While some argue the move screams of desperation on behalf of Cowell, the addition of Spears will undoubtedly spark interest in the show which saw unfavorable ratings in its first American season. But, what about Britney?

Whereas most stars have used talent shows as a vehicle to reignite their own stalled careers, Spears has not exactly had to rely on such backing for her career (which has been fairly steady over its decade-and-a-half long tenure).

And, of course, there are those who cite Spears own lack of singing ability as disqualification for judging material. But, clearly, that’s never been at the top of the criteria (see: Paula Abdul).

Now you weigh in: Is X Factor a sinking ship regardless of whose onboard? Or will the possibility of a rebooted Spears (‘X Factor’) rivalry with Christina Aguilera (‘The Voice’) get fans tuned in? Simply put, with all things considered:

i think BRITNEY would be a great GUEST judge…. why do ppl think you have to be a singer in order to know great vocals when you hear them…. she aint apply for VOCAL COACH… she will be giving her perspective and with over 13yrs in the biz and still being relevant her presence will be more than welcomed…

Go Britney! I’m sure her mellow & sweet attitude will be a perfect balance with L.A.’s & Simon’s harsh criticism. 15 mill is what you need to cough up to have someone like her on any show! The ratings will definitely go up! She’s gonna save this show!

The only bit of relevance Janet has left is that tired thru & delayed weight loss. Mean while Madonna at 53 performed at the Super Bowl, dropped another album that had a debut at #1 & still reigned as the true Queen of Pop.

I think this is a bad idea for Ms. Spears. One thing about Brit’s appeal is her lack of appearances. You really don’t see her out that much, so when you do see her, you know an album/single is gearing up. This drives her fans crazy and works with her lackluster promo. I love Brit, but her personality is too mellow alongside a character such as Simon. However, I am no hater when it comes to making that money (see Mary J Blige’s Burger King commercial.)

Well X Factor’s ratings will definitely go up. Adding Britney I think is also another tactic to stomp “The Voice”. We all know who has the vocals between Christina and Britney but Britney has a lot more popularity and people just like Britney, she seems like family. America’s Sweetheart

Whether Britney has mental issues or not, Britney herself & team would not put. Britney in a situation like this, knowing if they thought Britney wouldnt possibly embarrass herself or be incapable of performing her duties on the show like this.

Me personally, I think this is a good idea. I think by her doing this, the public will once love her again IF that personality of hers that she’s been hiding the past few years comes back to light. I’m hopeful this show will bring out the best in Britney and she will recognize that she once was a BAD b**** on the stage. Time will tell

Britney Spears is not worth 15 million just sit in a chair and judge somebody else on their talent when she’s never been able to sing herself and hasn’t put on a decent performance since dinosaur times.

Simon is just using her name to help boost the ratings of his ailing show.

How ironic is it going to look for Britney for her to sit there and critique somebody’s vocals or dance technique?

Didn’t Britney’s judge have to talk to her about this and approve it a couple weeks back? So obviously she’s capable of doing so, I’m sure neither her nor the X-Factor team would want any awkward/embarassing scandal. As for having no credibility…if Paula Abdul (who had been forgotten), IrrelevantOle Scherzinger and Forgottentina can do OK then Britney certainly can coming off a #1 era.

I’m happy for her. I don’t see why people are saying this is not a good choice for Britney. That is a lot of money and regardless if the show flops or not she will get her check. Again this is all “Amidst much tabloid speculation” so until more definite news is released by the television network itself I look at it as a good rumor.

She has nothing to gain! Her problem right now is that her album and her singles aside from ‘HIAM’ flopped internationally, so a US TV show is not what she needs. Her career in the US is fine, more than fine actually! ‘FF’ went platinum and it’s her first album to spawn 3 top 10 hits, one of them being her most playlisted song ever! And granted that she doesn’t need the money either, she has absolutely nothing to gain.

And what if the show underperforms again? If it couldn’t outdo ‘The Voice’ and ‘AI’ last year with all the Cheryl axe hype and the massive promo campaign, how can they be sure it’s going to work this time? Because if it doesn’t work, it’s obvious that the media are going to blame BRITNEY! Besides, is Britney really that comfortable on TV? She hardly ever copes with performing on TV, how is she going to JUDGE people for 3 hours once a week?

I LOVE her, but I want her to take her damn break and come back in 2013 with a killer album and full-on choreographies. Not f****** X Factor.

[…] rather than the one certain pockets of the media insist she still is. Thinking about it, that rumoured X Factor USA judging slot may be just what the Career Dr ordered. After all, what better way to realise and […]

lol at jlo’s 20M .. its 12M correct ur mistake. britney is the highest paid reality tv judge ever and she deserves it. it’s just sad that it’s such a haters’ world nowadays. give britney a chance. we all have our ups and downs and we’re so lucky that we dont have it photographed or captured in anyway like britney’s experience. she is a survivor and to be still around, relevant and all that, it just shows that she has the xfactor that nobody can explain. i respect britney as an artist and human being. kudos to her for being brave in embarking in this challenging career move.

People have to realize thAt simon cowell is about money and will do anything to boost ratings. If britney doesn’t do that she will be axed. I hope she will be able to handle simone arrogant ways too.
@ASAP britney has not sold 1 milli copies in the US yet, after one year and her album was off the billboard 200 four months ago. Her sales worldwide has stalled too. I wonder where you got that info. American Idol did not do anything to jlo’s career. I wonder what it would do to Britney’s. I highly doubt I will tune in, people have lost interest in Britney. TRUTH

I can’t take anyone that lip sync a ballad serious. Britney is a sweet southern girl and I don’t think she’s a good fit for the show Simon needs to go old school and get Patti Labelle on there, older folks don’t have a problem telling it like it is and don’t let pressure cloud their judgement

All these music shows are a joke besides The Voice because they are the only show that has singing credibility. All their judges have talent. American Idol lost me years ago but them putting Jennifer Lopez on there put the nail in the coffin. I watched the first episode of the X Factor and never looked back. Are they serious? Really? Britney Spears has zero talent. She can’t sing worth s***. J.Lo can’t either. I mean I thought this was a joke when they said it was a rumor. Yes she probably will get them ratings but Fox and Simon only care about money if they will give Britney spears the right to judge anyone’s singing voice. If I came on the show and I know I can’t sing and she told me I couldn’t I would laugh in the b****’s face the same for J.LO. You guys can say all you want but anyone will just a little bit of hearing can hear Britney Spears is terrible.

you’re right! the media will be in the britney popularity camp (as they always have) if it comes to a competition between christina and britney. if x factor fails with britney as a host (and i’ll believe it when i see it) i’m sure the media will stir up all kinds of for christina to avoid her outshining britney.

the show entertainment tonight was discussing christina, jlo and britney’s possibly joining the x factor. they blathered on and on about jlo and britney and to say they focused on christina for a 5 seconds might be a stretch.

@ kimberly…

i’m glad you straightened out the information about ‘femme fatale’ sales. for some reason it was certified platinum after it sold a little over 500k copies. christina’s ‘burlesque’ soundtrack was on the billboard 200 chart quite a bit longer than ‘femme fatale’. christina’s collab with maroon 5 was # 1 for about 8 weeks. it’s been in the top 30 for almost 40 weeks.